BEST SELLING TOYS FOR 1 YEAR OLDS

Malahide Castle, parts of which date to the 12th century, lies, with over 260 acres (1.1 km2) of remaining estate parkland (the Malahide Demesne Regional Park), close to the village of Malahide, nine miles (14 km) north of Dublin in Ireland.


The Castle is one of the oldest in Ireland. From 1185 until 1975, it was the home of the Talbot family.

In 1169, at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion, Malahide was under the control of Hammund Mac Turkill, the last Viking King of Dublin.

The estate began in 1185, when Richard Talbot, a knight who accompanied England’s King, Henry II to Ireland in 1174, was granted the "lands and harbour of Malahide".

The oldest parts of the castle date back to the 12th century and it was home to the Talbot family for 791 years, the only exception being the period from 1649-1660, when Oliver Cromwell granted it to Miles Corbet after the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland; Corbet was hanged following the demise of Cromwell, and the castle was restored to the Talbots.

The building was notably enlarged in the reign of England’s King, Edward IV, and the towers were added in 1765.

The estate survived such losses as the Battle of the Boyne, when fourteen members of the owner's family sat down to breakfast in the Great Hall, and all were dead by evening, and the Penal Laws, even though the family remained Roman Catholic until 1774.

Malahide Castle and Demesne was eventually inherited by the seventh Baron, Lord Milo Talbot and on his death in 1973, passed to his sister, Rose. In 1975, Rose sold the castle to the Irish State, partly to fund inheritance taxes.

The Castle, along with its subsidiary attractions, is operated as a tourist attraction by Dublin Tourism, working with Fingal County Council, which oversees the Castle Demesne.

The main castle can be visited for a fee, on a guided-tour-only basis. In addition, it is possible to hire the famously gothic Great Hall for private banquets. The castle has an eating facility, and adjacent is a craft shop. The castle's best-known rooms are the Oak Room, and the Great Hall, which displays Talbot family history.

Separately, one can visit:

* Museum of Childhood and Tara's Palace. The centrepiece of the museum is Tara's Palace, built to 1/12 scale, drawing on several of Ireland's "great houses" for architecture and design. The Museum, situated in the castle courtyard, also contains antique dolls, toys and other dolls' houses, including one from 1700 and one from the family of Oscar Wilde's mother.

* The Fry Model Railway, a large (2,500 sq ft.) working miniature rail display, from the 1920s-1930s. The railway includes models of stations and Irish features. This appeared to be closed when I visited the castle. See further information below.

* The Talbot Botanic Gardens, situated behind the castle, comprising several hectares of plants and lawns, a walled garden of 1.6 hectares (2007: public access, Weds. only, groups by appointment) and seven glasshouses, including a Victorian period conservatory. Many plants from the southern hemisphere, notably Chile and Australia, are featured.

The demense is one of few surviving examples of 18th century landscaped parks, and has wide lawns surrounded by a protective belt of trees. It can be visited freely, with a number of entrances and car parking areas. In addition to woodland walks, and a marked "exercise trail", the park features actively used sports grounds, including a cricket pitch and several football pitches, a 9-hole par-3 golf course, an 18-hole pitch-and-putt course, tennis courts and a boules area. There is also a modern children's playground near the castle.


FRY MODEL RAILWAY

Most of you will not be aware that the Fry Model Railway, owned by Dublin Tourism and housed in a purpose built building in Malahide Castle grounds has been given notice by Fingal County Council, the owners of the premises.

The reason for the eviction is not clear.

Again, most of you will have visited the Fry Model Railway at some time, and would be aware of the significance of this working layout, and associated static displays. It is the only working layout on the island to represent the history of our railways over the past 170 years or so, with the main line representing Belfast – Dublin - Cork, and including the narrow gauge and such delights as the mail boat sailing from Dun Laoire, and the Guinness barges on the River Liffey.

The layout, as far as we can ascertain, is to be put into storage, following its dismantling. The deadline for this is the end of February. No further details are available, and the future of both public and enthusiast viewing is uncertain.

An alternative location should be found, if possible, and we are appealing to ALL of you to come up with suggestions, north, south, east or west, in order that this magnificent collection should be kept available for public viewing. One suggestion is that it be re-erected in the grounds of Collins Barracks Mus

This is the last photo of my "52 weeks of Hannah" project.
My little angel has become 1 year old last sunday. Time is flying!
Her birthday was great. She ate pie, unfolded presents and had a great time with the other kids.
At the end of the day she was exhausted, but very satisfied...